1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server for monitoring machine data, predicting trends, and providing corrective response, and to a hierarchical system of provide predetermined degrees of response on the basis of a single machine, set of machines, or a plurality of sets of machines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, systems for monitoring the operation of a plurality of reprographic machines from a remote source by use of a powerful host computer having advanced, high level diagnostic capabilities have been installed. These systems have the capability to interact remotely with the machines being monitored to receive automatically initiated or user initiated requests for diagnosis and to interact with the requesting machine to receive stored data to enable higher level diagnostic analysis. Such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,038,319, and 5,057,866 (the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference), owned by the assignee of the present invention. These systems employ Remote Interactive Communications (RIC) to enable transfer of selected machine operating data (referred to as machine physical data) to the remote site at which the host computer is located, through a suitable communication channel. The machine physical data may be transmitted from a monitored document system to the remote site automatically at predetermined times and/or response to a specific request from the host computer.
In a typical RIC system, the host computer is linked via a public switched telephone system or a combination of public and dedicated systems to local reprographic machines via modems. The host computer may include a compiler to allow communication with a plurality of different types of machines and an expert diagnostic system that performs higher level analysis of the machine physical data than is available from the diagnostic system in the machine. After analysis, the expert system can provide an instruction message which can be utilized by the machine operator at the site of the document system to overcome a fault.
Alternatively, if the expert system determines that more serious repair is necessary or a preventive repair is desirable, a message is sent to a local field work office giving the identity of the machine and a general indication of the type of service action required.
One difficulty with the above described system is the requirement for large date transmission and bandwidth capacity in the remote transmission. U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,453 discloses a machine communications interface for transferring data either locally or remotely to a diagnostic device. However, the key communication elements are standard modems and RS-232 interfaces. A difficulty with this system is a relatively low data bandwidth for remote monitoring and capability of only infrequent monitoring. More importantly, there is disclosed a relatively dumb communications interface for transferring data either locally or remotely. There is lack of capability of trend analysis and diagnostics within the interface and the ability to reduce raw date to machine status before transmission. The system of the above described patent also lacks the ability for interaction with other servers on a network for a progressive technique or hierarchy of analysis and diagnostic applicable to a single machine or family of machines.
It is expected that future office products could be serviced by a variety of individuals that could include the customer, representative of product manufactures, or third party service organizations. The service may include parts repair or replacements, adjustments or software updates and should be made as conveniently and readily available as possible. On order to meet this new level of convenient service in an ever complex set of products, a new strategy needs to be developed to provide rapid, easily interpretable information on the status of the machines, to those that are likely to service the product. To ensure an economically viable strategy, product design must address the issue of service in a modular manner with upgradeable hardware and software and extendible to a series of products that use the same basic technologies and sensor and diagnostic techniques.